san francisco quickie

monday | 10.05
_we're told at the very end of a very long review that an impromptu field trip has been planned to san francisco so we can visit the california academy of sciences and other museums, since we're designing an energy museum this semester.
_it just so happens that outside of studio, for another class, freckles, kydrich, gramps, and i are also doing a case study of the california academy of sciences building. we archinerds squeal.
_freckles' parents apparently have a wonderful flat up in SF, too, which we can stay in gratis.
_EEEEEE!

tuesday-wednesday | 10.06-07
_begging of instructors of other classes to postpone deadlines and due dates.
_frantic trip-planning while trying to get the rest of our work done.
_much waffling back and forth on driving vs. flying.

thursday | 10.08
_slept 3 hours in the morning.
_franctically packed for the weekend in 20 minutes.
_went to classes, presented our work (last, which meant we were in class until past 10 PM).
_hopped in gramps' '89 volvo wagon with freckles, gramps, gramps' wife, and dirigible boy.
drove all night. well, gramps did.
_road trip bonding conversation topics:
__what kinds of things we would teach at our future schools of badassery.
__[i pointed out all the boys' suggestions were redneck activities. they then began to add in ninja skills.]
__architecture's social responsibility versus its autonomy as an academic discipline that has definite interiority and an ivory tower.
__police brutality and gang/drug wars in gramps'+wife's 'hood.
___yeah, very light topics, i know.

friday | 10.09
_arrived very early morning.
_dropped dirigible boy off at his parents' cute flat near golden gate park (forget the neighborhood name).
_picked kydrich up from JC's hotel room (she caught a ride up with him...nope, not Jesus and not jc chasez, either).
_got to freckle's parents' flat penthouse in nob hill. collapsed into bed right after a shower.

_3 hours later, red+boyfriend show up asking me to let them in to drop off their stuff (they flew up and BARTed in).
__i crawl into bed again, then realize we need to get up in an hour anyway.
_kydrich and i head out and walk the couple blocks to get the best dan tats (chinese egg custard pastries) ever.
__we come back and share with our housemates-for-the-weekend, accompanied by espresso courtesy of freckle-rents' machine.


__our view during breakfast:


_MUNI it to golden gate park.

_get discounts to get into the california academy of sciences. it's $25 normally. good cause, but still. i'm a poor grad student.
__discount #1 student/school group discount.
__discount #2 for taking public transportation.

__docent gives us a mini talk about the architecture, LEED platinum rating, yadda yadda. team bushy nips (see the building's green roof for why we named our case study group that) already knew it all from our research but did pick up one new, fascinating tidbit about the performance of the photovoltaics.
__see lots of fun stuff. seriously, go there next time you're up in SF. SO worth it!



one of the visiting researchers cataloging birds. ew


outside of boob, i mean sphere #1.


freckles + toad face off.
(LOVE her paul smith specs. they make me look like a bad nerd, not a cool nerd, unforch.)


SQUAAAAWK!


looking down at the people in aquarium below the rainforest.


lots of these in the rainforest sphere.


ribbit


under the sea (under the SEA!)


giant catfish


classmates + strangers






cutie vine snakes




coolest.job.ever.


JC in one of many dorky tourist pics of him we took that day.




while kydrich was touching things in this tide pool, i VERY loudly proclaimed the deliciousness sea urchin while one of the employees was telling another group about sensitive species in tide pools. kydrich kept nudging me. clueless me kept on. oops. said employee then winked at me and offered to sell me some of the uni. ha.




albino alligator!


giant taxidermy. ew.


giant cockroaches eat veggies. who knew?


spastic penguin + spastic kids. eek.


yo.


kydrich + JC rejoice over the kill.


look what we found to hold our free water!




herzog + de meuron's de young museum from the roof.


see the guy smiling in the background?


computer sensor-controlled, operable skylights to allow for passive ventilation.


skylight + shade system over the interior "piazza."

_kydrich, JC, and curvy took a break from museum hopping to EAT!


we were so ravenous we didn't notice the misspelling until i uploaded this photo.


complimentary chai.


nice paint.


garlic naan.


the remains.
even after we had stuffed ourselves for about $8 each.
SO delicious, too.
daal, aloo gobi, chicken tikka masala, and chicken curry.
oh, and regular, garlic, AND onion naan. you can never have enough naan.

_back to the park to check out the de young museum.


cool shadows at the de young museum.


from the observation tower.


view of the california academy of sciences from the de young.




fun fluorescents' reflection.


JC and super skinny chillaxin' on an andy goldsworthy piece.


JC + curvy
(we missed the tut exhibit).


JC


"ow ow ow," says the grass behind the california academy of sciences.

_on the way home...


...kydrich and i stop by her old, rather scary 'hood to check out the federal building by morphosis.



_back to the flat to watch the sox vs. the dodgers.
__well, for the boys. the girls gabbed and drank wine.






ugh. the view.
so much more interesting than baseball on TV.

panoramic shots i haven't stitched together yet from the 2nd floor balcony:









amazing produce.


FIGS! FIGS! FIGS!


ugh. i want. such a well-outfitted, organized, kitchen.

_antics


red's boyfriend, soxfan.


red.

_THE digs!


entry hall.
yep, that's backpainted glass in taupe with a floating console at the end of it.


kydrich's bunk.


my bunk.


my cozy nook, again.


DEEP soaking tub with phillipe starck hansgrohe axor fixtures. yum.

_ended the night with a pre-party at our fabulous digs for our other classmates.
__didn't make the party party as i'm lame. well, because i had a super early flight the next day.

_the end.
__LOVED walking around the city in the perfect weather (warmer than it usually is, but still so pleasant!)
__LOVED all the convenient public transportation. forgot how much i appreciate it as much as i'm an angeleno that loves to drive.
__LOVED the amazing flat we got to stay in.
__LOVED studiomate bonding time.
__LOVED the museums.
___[wish the bear could have come, too. instead, he passed a test for something he needs for work that weekend. woohoo!]